Thursday, August 08, 2013

Many people wonder why others
leave their hometowns if they have a “confi” bed, a “decent” income, live in “dream
countries” with amazing beaches, or whatever that might sound reasonable.

Perhaps
because of the need to learn new things, to gain independence, to discover
cultures, to start thinking “out-of-the-box” (being the box: your hometown and
the people that live there), to break the “path/trend” of doing what culture imposes
(being the trend: having kids at age +21 and/or marring, forming a family you
don’t truly want at that time).

The truth is that, well,
there is no good answer to that question as we all leave for our own personal reasons
and pursuing different purposes.

Us, We (or what I like to
call it), the “world travelers” are not a weird human kind. We are more common than we might think. We are not more special than others, we just
choose a different way of living.

Do we risk more? Are we really more open minded than the
rest? Who knows! We shouldn't be the ones judging that. But, as I say this, I must also say that I do
believe we are a bit more “market sexy”.

When you go to countries where you know someone and you
speak the same language, the transition happens to be softer.

During the first month, you start by missing “your
people” but somehow with time this feeling smooths and you handle it because
it is a new experience, you start discovering places, your mind is always busy
and up to something. It is a natural process.

If
you start dating, then your priorities change and you can either settle down or
take your partner into your travelling path.
For people that work for NGOs, apparently, the second one is commonly
seen.

When you go to countries where you know no one and you don’t
speak the same language, the transition time is slower, tougher but gives
more satisfaction.

You
are in a constant learning / discovering process. Your eyes are open to everything that is
around. Local people’s expressions,
where to go, what to do, you are always reading magazines or going online to
find out what is going to be the next step/activity you will do.

You
find yourself doing things you have never thought of, as you need to make new
friends (obviously! Life must always be
lived in society).

You
find yourself dancing to new beats, eating “jelly” seafood, going to foreigner
groups (to have a drink, to practice the little you have learned of the local language
or only to have an oasis and hopefully you will find someone that speak yours).

You
go to diving classes, although you have always feared the ocean, the dependency
on a bottle of oxygen. But is new! Exciting!
Risky! Sexy!

In both cases,
you are always struggling with cultural matters, and I think this is the best
(most interesting) part.

Your mind is trained / set to have certain believes
on what is “reasonable” and what it is not.

You
set your limits based on what you are
“used to see”, “what your family taught you”, the experiences you have had that
leads you to think something is either good or bad.

And
most important, the fact that others (we, as well) are moved by “stereotypes”
(So, if you come from X country, they will expect you to be from X way).

So, question is.. how to
fight that? How to fight against what
you known from “always”? How to fight
against those things others “already” know from you? Do we really want to fight
it or do we want to change it or do we only want to live with that? Or do we
just want to… Adjust… ? Share a little from you and learn from others… Isn't that what part of the globalization was
about in a way?